Thread: Перестройка, также до и после

Originally Posted by DrBaldhead

Кто не жалеет о распаде Советского Союза, у того нет сердца; кто хочет воссоздать его в прежнем виде, у того нет головы. /
Those who do not regret the collapse of the Soviet Union have no heart; those who want to recreate it in its original form are out of their minds.

Putin

Alas, no "neo-sovietism" for us right now.

I am familiar with that quote. And having lived in the Soviet Union, I can attest that not everything about it was wrong. It was not paradise, but it was not the evil empire Reagan said it was, either. Putin's statement echoes my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Deborski

I am familiar with that quote. And having lived in the Soviet Union, I can attest that not everything about it was wrong. It was not paradise, but it was not the evil empire Reagan said it was, either. Putin's statement echoes my sentiment.

Deb, we seem to have discussed it a lot before, but apparently I have to say it one more time - you were to the USSR during the Perestroika!; by the time you arrived there, they had already gotten rid of the evil empire status, and even Reagan confirmed back then they had; from that perspective, there were some good sides, yeah, but what if you went there in the mid-1970s? I really doubt you would like it there.

Originally Posted by Eric C.

but what if you went there in the mid-1970s? I really doubt you would like it there.

But most Russians who lived in those times will say that 70s was much better than perestroika.

Originally Posted by dtrq

But most Russians who lived in those times will say that 70s was much better than perestroika.

Perestroika was actually a very difficult time. The economy was in ruins. But I talked with enough Russians to actually form a very clear picture of what their lives were like in the 70's and 80's. It was not the nightmare we were told it was in the west. It wasn't perfect. But it wasn't a horrible place where no one could speak aloud and the KGB dragged everyone off into the night, either.

But even during perestroika, when there was not enough to eat and there was so much uncertainty about the future, most people I came into contact with were kind. There were very few Russians I ever met whom I would consider "rude." That has changed. Today, rudeness seems much more commonplace than during Soviet times and I think it is a symptom of capitalism and not just because I am foreign.

Originally Posted by dtrq

But most Russians who lived in those times will say that 70s was much better than perestroika.

Yeah, their illusion of happiness was taken away from them, but the thing is, they couldn't have that illusion forever, and sooner or later it would happen anyway; as one escapee from the USSR described that system in one sentence, "The reason for your happiness is that you don't have a clue of how unhappy you are" ("Ваше счастье в том что вы не знаете как плохо вы живете")

Originally Posted by Eric C.

"The reason for your happiness is that you don't have a clue of how unhappy you are" ("Ваше счастье в том что вы не знаете как плохо вы живете")

The same could be said for people in the US right now.

Originally Posted by Deborski

The same could be said for people in the US right now.

And for any nation and era

Originally Posted by dtrq

And for any nation and era

I completely agree!

Troll (Internet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Troll: In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog), either accidentally[3][4] or with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[5] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Originally Posted by dtrq

And for any nation and era

Maybe a little bit offtop, but still: if you could choose when you live, now or 40 years ago, provided you would be in the same exact area you're now in, what would you choose?